Passenger boats are often provided with a windshield in front of a rearward passenger area. The windshield shields the rearward passenger area from the wind when the boat is moving on the water. However, some passengers seated in that area might like to feel the wind while the boat is moving.
In cases where the boat is provided with a forward passenger area forwardly of the windshield, the windshield also hinders communications between the passengers in the forward and the rearward passenger areas.
Boats with a forward and rearward passenger areas generally have a passageway communicating the two areas. These boats are often provided with a central windshield disposed in the passageway to provide additional shielding. However, since the windshield does not extend completely to the floor of the boat, wind can still pass through the passageway, which in some cases it may be desired to minimize.
Some of the above-mentioned concerns have been addressed by the prior art. For example, in most boats having a central windshield, the central windshield is hinged to the windshield beside it. This allows the central windshield to be pivoted onto the windshield to which it is hinged. This system provides easy access between the two passenger areas and the central windshield can easily be moved to a position where it does not shield from the wind. However, the fact that the central windshield rests on another windshield may cause either, or both, to become scratched. Also if the central windshield is narrower than the windshield on which it rests, as is often the case, the frame of the central windshield may obstruct the view through the windshield on which it rests.
Other systems provide a central windshield that can be moved to a position where it no longer shields the passengers by moving the central windshield forwardly while pivoting it to a generally horizontal position. However, having the windshield in a horizontal position takes up a lot of space that could otherwise be occupied by passengers.
Therefore, there is a need for a boat with a windshield that can be moved to a position where it provides less shielding from the wind.
There is also a need for a boat with a windshield that can be moved to a position which facilitates the communication between the passengers in the forward passenger area and the passengers in the rearward passenger area of the boat.
There is also a need for a boat which provides additional shielding from the wind in the passageway between the forward and rearward passenger areas. Moreover, for the same reasons as those mentioned above, and for providing easy access from one passenger area to the other, there is also a need to have the additional shielding and the central windshield move to a position where they would no longer be shielding or where shielding is reduced.
There is also a need for a boat with a windshield that can move to a position in which shielding from the wind is reduced and which does not take up too much space on the boat while in that position.